I lie on the bench and start bringing the bar over my head.
Up.
Down.
I need to plan. I need to figure out what the fuck I'm going to do when Nicolae calls again and demands I hand Keira over like she's cargo.
I grip the bar harder and push. I don't count reps; I continue until the burn overrides the noise in my head.
I rack the bar, wait a few seconds, and bring it back up over my head. I go again until my muscles burn and sweat starts dripping down my sides.
I sit up and quickly go over to the dumbbells. I don't wait; I grab some and start a set, pushing through the burn in my shoulders.
I just can't focus. This isn't working.
Because the truth is, I don't want to. I don't want to think about Nicolae or the Morrígan or the fact that I'm standing at the edge of a choice that will destroy me either way.
I just want her.
I want her in a way that's irrational, possessive, and fucking dangerous.
I want to know what she tastes like. What sounds she makes when she's losing control. What it feels like to have her warming my bed, underneath me, looking up at me like I'm the only thing in the world that matters.
I drop the weights onto the mat.
"FUCK!" I growl.
I switch to pull-ups, then push-ups, and back to the dumbbells. Anything and everything to keep moving. To stop thinking about the sound of her voice or the fucking way she smiled at the café this morning.
I zone in on my reps.
One.
Two.
Three.
My mind starts to clear, just a little.
Four.
Five.
And then I hear footsteps on the stairs. I freeze mid-rep.
"There you are." Keira's voice cuts through the silence, and I feel every nerve in my body come alive.
I glance up. She's standing in the doorway, arms crossed under her chest, red hair loose around her shoulders. Always looking perfect.
"Do you always work out shirtless?" she asks, head tilted.
I feel my biceps straining under the weight of my incomplete set, and I rack them back where they belong.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "Does it bother you?"
"No," Keira says and shakes her head, but her gaze drops to my chest, then lower, before she catches herself and looks away. "I was just wondering."
I can see the flush creeping up her neck. I thought I saw it last time we were here, but I wasn't sure. Thought it was me being hopeful, but there's no mistaking it now.
